How to plant rose cuttings

Roses are one of the most popular flowers among people. Many gardens have these beautiful plants despite their thorns. Their great beauty and pleasant fragrance make them a success. However, it can be a bit difficult to reproduce them. For it, the simplest and most inexpensive way is through cuttings. It is clear that you have to know how to apply this technique. For this reason we are going to explain in this article how to plant rose cuttings.

We will not only talk about how to perform this technique, but we will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages that it can entail, how to prepare the cuttings and when to carry out this task.

Advantages and disadvantages of planting rosebush cuttings

Let's first clarify the concept of cuttings. These are branches or stems that have been cut directly from the plant, in this case the rose bush. These are planted to take root and eventually produce new plants. When planting rose cuttings, we cannot use just any branches. The ideal ones are those that are semi-mature and whose thickness ranges between six and ten millimeters. As for the branches, the ideal size of them is between fifteen and twenty centimeters long. In addition, it is recommended that they have some yolk.

Before explaining how to plant rose cuttings, we are going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages that this task can have. As for the advantages, they are the following:

• New roses are obtained in a way very economical.
• Planting cuttings is the best way to get certain varieties of roses that are difficult to obtain.
• Like the plant that is created from the cutting it is a clone of the original, In other words, it is identical at the genetic level, we can know in advance the characteristics that it will have.

However, this technique also has some disadvantages that we must take into account. They are as follows:

• The flowering of rose bushes created by cuttings has a less profusion.
• Its resistance to both excess water and drought is lower.
• It also decreases its resistance to cold.
• They are generally more vulnerable to fungi.
• The half-life of rose bushes created from cuttings is shorter.

Related article:

How to prevent fungus in rose bush

How are rose cuttings prepared?

To know how to plant rose bush cuttings, we must first prepare them. After selecting the most suitable stem or branch, we have to follow the following steps:

1. Cut the tip of the branch in a bevel, above a bud or bud.
2. Cut the lower part of the stem or branch horizontally.
3. Remove the leaves to prevent the branches from perspiring and drying up.
4. Clean the branches by removing a part of the lower bark or make a cut on the branch. This step can be skipped.
5. Using growth hormones. This is essential to increase your chances of success.

There are two times that are the best to make rose cuttings: Spring and fall. If we choose to plant rose cuttings in spring, it is best to choose branches from the previous year so that they have a year of life, since they will be more vigorous. On the other hand, if our intention is to carry out this task in autumn, we should take branches that are from the same year and that already have a mature appearance.

Related article:

How and when to plant rose bushes?

If you want to know how rose cuttings are planted, you should bear in mind that there are four different techniques to do it. The most traditional is using a pot with substrate. However, there are three other methods that we will explain in this section: Using potatoes, plastic bags or growing in hydroponics. But what all these four different techniques do have in common is that rose cuttings must always be at a temperature between 18ºC and 21ºC, have a fairly high humidity and not receive direct sunlight.

Cuttings in a pot with substrate

We start talking about the most traditional method when it comes to reproducing the rose bush by cuttings. It is basically a matter of filling a pot with a substrate rich in peat and placing the cuttings in it. There are substrates specifically designed for cuttings. Before placing the peg we must wet the substrate a little and apply rooting agent. In the event that it was very hot, a good option is to cover the pot to avoid excessive perspiration and water regularly. If we want the cutting to grow directly in the garden, we can plant it there as long as it is in a shady place.

We can also drive the stakes with the cuttings into a potato instead of driving them directly into the substrate. The potato will help maintain moisture and provide nutrients to the cutting. However, using this method does not mean that we can do without the substrate. Once roots begin to grow, we must transplant the cutting to the ground or substrate.

Another method of planting rose cuttings is by growing them in hydroponics. In this case cuttings or cuttings are placed in water. With a cut in the lower part we will improve the capillarity. For this technique we will need special tubes and a preparation of perlite, peat and vermiculite. This will help the cuttings absorb moisture. We must not forget to use rooting hormones and subsequently ensure that conditions are properly maintained, such as humidity.

Finally, we have to comment on the method of plastic bags. It is a variant of the traditional technique, but changing the pots for plastic bags. In this way we will be able to create a kind of miniature greenhouse. When they begin to have roots and their first leaves, they can be transplanted into pots or directly to the garden. The results of this method are good as it avoids excessive perspiration.

As you can see, planting rose cuttings is not very complicated. So if we already have roses, we can try this method next spring or fall.